Why Was Iran Included in Bush's "Axis of Evil"?

Geoffrey Kemp, in his article, Iran and the Axis of Evil makes some very good points as to why a country which is for the most part neutral and has a somewhat democratic government, could indeed be included in the "Axis of Evil". Here are a few of his arguing points:

First, continued U.S. anger concerning Iran’s support for Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in their war against Israel, as well as Iranian complicity in the shipment of smuggled arms for the Palestinian Authority on the Karine-A merchant ship. Second, Iran’s continued attempts to develop nuclear weapons - - a finding supported by the intelligence services of the United Kingdom, Germany and France, as well as the U.S. and Israel. Third, disillusionment with President Khatami and his inability to challenge Iran’s hard-liners and open a direct dialogue with the U.S. government to resolve outstanding problems.

"Most of the Mideast," said Dr. Peikoff in his article, "is ruled by thugs who would be paralyzed by an American victory over any of their neighbors. Iran, by contrast, is the only country there ruled by zealots dedicated not to material gain (such as more wealth or territory), but to the triumph by any means, however violent, of the Muslim fundamentalist movement they brought to life. That is why Iran manufactures the most terrorists."

"According to a State Department report of 1999," added Dr. Peikoff, "Iran is 'the most active state sponsor of terrorism,' training and arming groups from all over the Mideast, including Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and Hezbollah." As evidence of Iran's continuing secret terrorist activities, Dr. Brook cited the recent Israeli capture of a shipload of weapons from Iran to the terrorist PLO.

"The United States," said Dr. Brook, "should encourage and actively assist the pro-freedom fighters in Iran to launch a revolution that will expel every terrorist-supporting official in their government. But if they are unable to do this, the United States will have to bring its military power to bear on Iran."

Some of the commentors to my posts here have stated that Iran is neutral and has no love of Saddam. Well, this is true in some respects. The war with Iraq in the 1980s cost the Iranians millions of lives and millions of dollars, of which they are still trying to recover from today. Although there is a growing pro-American movement in Iran, Iran is still in some respects Anti-American. There are still those in the Iranian government who despise America for arming Iraq in the 1980s and for allowing Shia muslim Iraqis to be slaughter by Saddam after the first Gulf War because the U.S. backed out of going in after Saddam.

"Not since the pagan hordes of Hulaku Khan sacked Baghdad in 1258 has such a grand destruction of civilization and humanitarian values descended upon the Land of the Two Rivers." (speaking about the Iraq war)

"[A]rmed-to-the-teeth the Yankees pillage towns and cities," said the writer, "barging into the homes of respectable citizens, dragging Muslim women and children out into the streets and torturing and killing defenseless civilians.

"These events are brought about to satiate President George Bush's desire to impose his version of democracy on the land where Adam, the father of mankind lies buried, where Noah built his ark, and where Abraham was born."

"Bush is obsessed in becoming a super terrorist and his penchant for dropping the most devastating explosives on disarmed people is greater than the lust for blood of the American protégé, Saddam Hussein, with whom he is contesting for the crown of 'state terrorist.'

"The Bush administration growls like a baboon whenever the Zionist lobby tugs its tail to increase pressure on world nations."

Concludes the piece: "When all is said and done, whatever be the course of the combat in the next few weeks and whether or not the adversaries resort to chemical weapons or atomic bombs, Bush, like Saddam, will end up like a damned devil."

So even if Iran appears neutral, there is still unrest there concerning Bush and whatever kind of government Bush has planned. Some Iranians fear that if Bush puts in a government that is too pro-American, it could endanger Iran's oil production, not to mention that Iran would then be surrounded by two pro-American countries: Iraq and Afghanistan (provided that the US can keep Afghanistan from being retaken by the Taliban).